Rethinking the Employment Status of Refugees in the United States

The United States has long been a global leader in refugee resettlement. Still, many refugees face extraordinary difficulties with poverty and unemployment after arriving in the country. Currently, refugees are barred from applying to jobs in the Federal Civil Service, the largest employer in the United States. A change in this policy could mitigate these challenges for the refugee population. Not only is the current policy misguided from a humanitarian and economic perspective, it is also potentially unconstitutional as it may be in conflict with U.S. obligations under the 1967 Protocol on the Status of Refugees.